A Mother's Love
by DhampyrX2
Summary: What if Mystique decided to try to become a better(real) mother to her children after she recruited Rogue?
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Mother's Love  
  
Author: DhampyrX2  
  
Genre: General  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Poverty is my constant friend. Please don't sue. I make no money from this.  
  
Summary: Pretty much from the word go Mystique has been a total washout as a mother. She lied to Rogue, never had that big talk with Kurt after Pietro sabotaged it, and never really tried to do right by her children throughout Evolution. Many have theories about why, and write fan fiction detailing their opinions. This isn't one of those. No, this fic asks a different question. What if after she recruited Rogue, Mystique tried to be a GOOD mother?  
  
*****  
  
Raven Darkholme sat quietly at her desk in her room, brooding. She finally had her daughter, her little Marie, back. Now if only she could work up some enthusiasm about that fact. Well, truthfully, she /was/ happy, to a degree. It would just be so much sweeter if Marie, now calling herself Rogue, actually knew she was working for her long absentee mother.  
  
Of, course, Destiny had asked her to remain silent about that fact. It irked Raven to be so close to her daughter, and be expected to remain silent because of vague warnings from the blind seer. Wasn't bad enough that she was close enough to her son every day to hug him, but had to refrain from even _mentioning_ their relationship thanks to Magneto? Now, she had her daughter in her own /home/, and couldn't reach out to her. The more Mystique thought about that, the angrier it made her.  
  
It wasn't fair, damn it! She was close enough touch both her babies for the first time in years, after circumstances took her away from each of them, and it was like they were separated by some plexiglass wall. Granted, Kurt had been raised by a loving foster foster family to fill the void in his heart, and Marie had had Irene. By all rights, in fact, Kurt was much safer being raised by the Wagners, away from her /master's/ attention. Leaving the boy there with the family that found him was the smartest option she had at the time. But what about herself? Why was she denied the simple joy of being a mother? Damn Magneto and his schemes to hell, she wanted her family!  
  
She brooded long into the night, agonizing at the tortuous fact that her daughter was a few doors down, with no idea that mother, who loved both her and her brother no matter what idiots like Sabertooth or Storm might have said behind her back, was there. It had to stop. She knew it did. There was no way she could live with a lie like this and not go insane. Finally, she came to a decision. She would find a quiet place, away from Magneto, and tell Marie everything. Who she was, why she was with Irene, what had really happened with the X-men when she was recruited last week, and one other fact. She would tell her about her exact relation to a certain furry blue protégé of Xavier's.  
  
Irene and her warnings be damned, she was at least going to try to get her daughter back instead of sitting here on her ass. She may not be ready to confront Kurt, who had good reasons to believe in baldy's dreams thanks to his foster parents and that holo-watch he had been given at the Institute. That didn't mean she couldn't bond with her little girl again. And who knew, maybe Rogue would have an idea of how to reconcile things with Kurt?  
  
It was with that thought in mind, that Mystique settled went to bed, and settled into the first peaceful sleep she had had in years.  
  
*****  
  
"Rogue, I want to see you after school. I have some things to go over with you about the brotherhood.", Raven said to her daughter that morning, making a chill go up Rogue's spine. No conversation with an adult was ever good when it was set up like that.  
  
"Sure thing, teach.", the southern goth replied, acting as if she wasn't nervous over what Mystique wanted.  
  
"Good, meet me at my car at four o'clock. Don't be late.", the principal warned, her voice making no room for argument.  
  
"Better you than me, Roguey.", Toad commented with a sympathy wince as he passed her on the way to Lance's jeep, and his ride to school  
  
*****  
  
Rogue was a few minutes early, and waited, fidgeting nervously with her hair. What could Mystique want to talk about that couldn't be done at the house? It was just bizarre, and it was making Rogue edgy the more she thought about it.  
  
"Good, you're here.", Mystique said from behind her, making Rogue jump in surprise. Her musings had left her too preoccupied to notice Principal Darkholme's approach.  
  
"Yeah. What do ya' want to say to me?". The goth asked, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her face, and trying to act like the sullen rebel she projected herself to be.  
  
Raven Ignored her act, and her question, as she got in the car and opened the passenger door. "Get in. We'll discuss it, but not here, Rogue.", she said.  
  
"Fine. But this better be good.", Rogue replied, getting in the car, and closing the door.  
  
***** They drove for over half an hour, deep into the countryside. Finally, they parked at the edge of thick wooded area. That was not good enough for Mystique, though. She insisted they travel far into the woods, with the shape shifter assuming her natural form once they were certain to be out of sight of passers by. Finally, after nearly tan minutes of walking, they stopped.  
  
"Alright already, Mystique. What's so important you pull all this stuff? If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were taking me out here to kill me and dump my body.  
  
Raven sighed at her daughter's attitude. This was going to be the hard part. Well, it was now or never. "Rogue...Marie. I have some things to tell you. They won't be easy for you to hear at first, and they are for you and you alone to know. That's why we ditched the car. I don't know if Magneto has it bugged, and I don't want him interfering. I'm not sure how to tell you all this, but just please hear me out until I'm done."  
  
"How do yah' know mah' real name?", Rogue asked warily, taking a step back, her accent growing thicker unconsciously.  
  
Mystique took on the form of a beautiful red headed woman then. It was the best explanation she could offer her already spooked child.  
  
"Momma?" Rogue queried in shock.  
  
*****  
  
END CHAPTER 1 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Mother's Love  
  
Author: DhampyrX2  
  
Genre: General  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Poverty is my constant friend. Please don't sue. I make no money from this.  
  
Summary: Pretty much from the word go Mystique has been a total washout as a mother. She lied to Rogue, never had that big talk with Kurt after Pietro sabotaged it, and never really tried to do right by her children throughout Evolution. Many have theories about why, and write fan fiction detailing their opinions. This isn't one of those. No, this fic asks a different question. What if after she recruited Rogue, Mystique tried to be a GOOD mother?  
  
*****  
  
That night it was a different Darkholme, and yes, she had to accept that that was her real name now, brooding in her room. It took all Rogue had not to run off into the night in the face of all that she had learned. Mystique was he mother, wanting to make amends for being gone so much, she had been tricked into joining the Brotherhood and fearing the X-men, with Irene's approval, and on top pf all that, Kurt Wagner, the Nightcrawler, one of the hated X-men was her baby bother. It was all so much to take in.  
  
Well, truthfully, she wasn't all that bothered by Kurt being family. It explained why she was so willing to trust him when he tried to talk to her the night her powers emerged. At least until that idiot girl Kitty her brother and Lance were always drooling over tried to 'save' him. That was another thing. When Mystique *Momma*, she reminded herself mentally, had told explained things to the distraught southern belle, it had jogged her own memory of that confusing night. A fact that she had to keep quiet, lest they risk the mysterious Magneto's wrath.  
  
Rogue felt anger well up inside of her as she thought of the man's code name. Who was this jerk, to do so much to destroy her family? To experiment on her baby brother, and then have the nerve to tell Momma to hide the truth from her just so he could make use of her power? The whole situation stank, in her humble opinion. It ranked right up there with Irene telling Mystique to keep her in the dark about stuff.  
  
Rogue hadn't wanted to believe that part, at first, but the sincerity and anguish in her mother's eyes convinced her. Irene Adler had always been good to her. Hell, even Mystique said she was a good woman, and shouldn't be judged too harshly. But the bottom line was, she had advised Rogue mother to keep their relationship a secret. And for what? Some lame assed dire prophesy that had no specifics. Marie Darkholme would take her chances with having her mother back instead, thank you very much.  
  
And there, was the crux of things for Rogue. Did she want to accept her mother back now? She was willing to acknowledge the huge risk Raven had taken to tell her these things. All that remained to be seen was what they were going to do about them. She thought things over again of constant circles, her mind never ceasing to puzzle its new bits of information. Finally, near midnight, she just decided to go see Mystique, and tell her she would need some time alone to sort this out.  
  
When she knocked on her mother's door, she didn't know what to expect, exactly, but the cold, "Who is it?" from the other side seemed about right for starters.  
  
"It's me, Rogue. I... Ah need to talk to yah, Mystique. It's important." Rogue replied.  
  
It was the sight that presented itself before her that decided things for Marie then and there. When Mystique opened the door, she was in her natural blue form, her hair was disheveled, and her milky white eyes were bloodshot from crying. Apparently, the woman had been sitting there all night crying, expecting that her confession had cost her her only daughter. Rogue's heart clenched at the sight, remembering the nights she would cry herself to sleep wondering when her momma would come home from a business trip. Well, it was time to put those personal demons to rest for both of them.  
  
And with that in mind, Marie Darkholme fell into her mothers arms, weeping. "Momma. I missed yah so much." she sobbed, keeping her fact on Mystiques silk robe to protect her mother from her powers.  
  
"Hush now little one. It's all right now. Momma's right here. I promise nothing will ever come between us again." Raven soothed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes as she led Rogue into her room and closed the door.  
  
From there two generations of Darkholme women held clung to each other like a lifeline, and sobbed away over a decade and a half of pain, loneliness, and on Mystique's part, guilt.  
  
*****  
  
The pair was especially careful not to show any change in their behavior the next morning, lest they tip off the boys that something had changed, and it could accidentally get back to Magneto. Especially with Todd's big mouth. And so, the morning, argument/fight/breakfast that heralded any school morning at the Bayville Brotherhood Boarding House took place yet again. Complete with Rogue scowling at the boys from her Anne Rice novels, as Freddy complained his was still hungry, Todd asked why he couldn't eat bugs at the table, and then either Mystique, or Lance, or Freddy, would enforce their will on the smallest member of the group physically for annoying them. It wasn't until that afternoon in the sparring room of the school gym, long after the X-men and other Brotherhood members had gone home for the day, that mother and daughter could speak frankly.  
  
"Momma, I've bee thinking", Rogue said in between grunts, as she hit the heavy punching bag that Mystique was spotting for her.  
  
Raven's heart soared, and she failed to fight off a smile, as her baby girl called her 'momma' again. "About what, Marie, dear?" she asked.  
  
"I was wonderin' why we can't tell Kurt. I mean, I know you said you don't trust Xavier any more than you do Magneto, and that you don't want our boss getting his meat hooks into the little elf again, but shouldn't we talk to him about this? I mean, he's my little brother. I want to tell him, and stuff, I guess..." she said, trailing off uncertainly.  
  
"Charles Xavier is a man with a vision, Rogue. One that doesn't make much sense in the face of having a stealth attack jet, or keeping a man like Logan in retainer. Granted, Logan's the only adult there I /would/ trust. You at least know where you stand with the Wolverine." Mystique replied. "But telling Kurt right now is dangerous. Not only would it call attention to him be a man I'm unsure of, but it would call the attention of Magneto as well. As long as neither thinks I care overly about Kurt being here, they won't use him to get to us."  
  
"But what if we told him private, and asked him to keep it quiet? It's not right to hide it, Momma. It wasn't right with me, and it's not right now. And if it does get Magneto's panties in a bunch, well Kurt's a big boy, and he has all those X-men to side with him. Includin' Xavier." Rogue replied in frustration.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rogue. I just can't take the risk. Not right now. I promise the second one of us thinks of a safe way to do it, I'll go to him with open arms, but I can't right now." Raven said, looking away. It was obvious to Rogue that she was scared. But whether that fear came from worrying about Magneto and Xavier, or fear of rejection from Kurt, she could not say.  
  
Either way, it was obvious Rogue would not win this argument this afternoon. "Okay, Momma. I'll accept that. For now." Rogue replied, taking up a towel to wipe off the sweat from her brow. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower and change while the showers here are empty. I'll meet yah at the car.", she said heading toward the door.  
  
Mystique looked annoyed, bordering on angry as she asked, "Why take a shower here? Did Todd 'accidentally' walk in on you again at the house?"  
  
"Nah, but why give him the opportunity?" Rogue called over her shoulder as she left the training room.  
  
"Why indeed?" Mystique asked rhetorically of nobody, as she headed for her office to pick up some paperwork, before meeting he daughter at the car.  
  
*****  
  
END CHAPTER 2 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A Mother's Love  
  
Author: DhampyrX2  
  
Genre: General  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Poverty is my constant friend. Please don't sue. I make no money from this.  
  
Summary: Pretty much from the word go Mystique has been a total washout as a mother. She lied to Rogue, never had that big talk with Kurt after Pietro sabotaged it, and never really tried to do right by her children throughout Evolution. Many have theories about why, and write fan fiction detailing their opinions. This isn't one of those. No, this fic asks a different question. What if after she recruited Rogue, Mystique tried to be a GOOD mother?  
  
*****  
  
It had been a good few weeks, all things considered for Rogue and Mystique. Although they kept things strictly business-like and professional around the boys, they had come to a point where they were adjusting quite well to being mother and daughter again in private. Only two things had really caused any bumps in their newly fledged family bond. One was Mystique's continued fear of revealing their relationship to Kurt, and the other was Rogue's apparent growing crush on Scott Summers.  
  
Not that Scott was a bad boy, in Mystique's estimation. Far from it, actually. She had enough knowledge of him from both her cover as the school principal, and from seeing him fight as an X-man, to see that he quite intelligent and resourceful. It was just that he happened to be her daughter's first real crush. When one coupled that with the fact he was Xavier's prized pupil, along with his obvious pursuit of, and crush on his team mate Jean Grey, he just seemed destined to break Marie's heart. Mystique had felt enough heartbreak in her life to know she wanted to shield her daughter from it if she could. Still, she also knew better than to openly oppose the girl's feelings. That would only make the independent Rogue want him more. No, instead she simply resorted to good natured teasing and open discussion. Both were sure fire ways to keep the teenager from openly admitting to anything, or pursuing it.  
  
It was ironic then, when Rogue came to her with an admission that involved both 'bumps' at once.  
  
"Uh, Momma? I have somethin' ta tell yah." Rogue said with a stutter as she looked to the surface of the table she was sitting at.  
  
They were in a diner they had come to frequent, as Mystique wore the form of a petite, purple headed British girl named 'Risty.' It was a perfect camouflage that would easily throw off the Brotherhood boys, or the X-men, if they were seen. They just looked like two goth teenagers hanging out and eating. It didn't hurt that Mystique had patterned herself after a real person, in case Xavier or Magneto saw them and got nosy. They'd probably both think the same thing. Rogue was talking to a young mutant woman named Betsy, and was trying to recruit her to the 'cause'. Idiots. Let them believe their own hype and propaganda. She had more important things to deal with.  
  
Mystique knew something was wrong when Rogue's accent got heavier. It always happened when the girl was upset. "What is it, child?" she asked gently, even though she knew she wouldn't like the answer.  
  
"Ah kind of screwed up yesterdah'. You know haw Freddy got all desperate and lovesick and stuff, an' kidnapped Miss Perfect Jean?" Rogue asked, waiting for a nod of confirmation from 'Risty' before continuing. "An' yah know how I was working with Scott on Romeo an' Juliet after school then, rahght? Well, Kurt teleported ontah the table we were readin' at, an' I kinda called him an annoying little brother in front of Scott after he popped out. It know it was stupid, and dangerous, but it just slipped out. I cain't help but think of him like that. I mean, he /is/ mah little brothah, yah know?"  
  
"What were you're exact words, Marie?" Mystique asked seriously, her face betraying no emotion.  
  
"Well, Kurt teleported in, and I made a comment about his sulphur smoke. Then he told Scott tha' he needed to help look fo' Jean. Then when Kurt Popped out I kind of sighed and said 'My God, is such an annoyin' little brother.'" Rogue replied.  
  
"And what was the response to that from young mister Summers?" 'Risty' asked.  
  
"He just shrugged it off with a chuckle an' said 'Yeah. Kurt kind is like an annoyin' brother sometimes, but he's still glad to have him around. He makes life interesting.'" Rogue responded, still looking to the table.  
  
Mystique sighed with relief at that answer. "Well, it sounds like there was no real harm done, then. Mr. Summers' response makes it seem like he thought you were referring to how he and Kurt act toward each other. I doubt he'd think twice about it again, or bring it up with anyone. I highly doubt he'd make a connection to you and Kurt being related."  
  
She gave Rogue a moment to sigh in relief herself before she added, "That doesn't mean it wasn't careless and dangerous, Marie. I know you want to tell Kurt. _I_ want a chance to get close to my son as much as anyone. That doesn't mean we can afford to be careless. Remember, it's as much a risk for him as it would be for us. I'd prefer to avoid danger for all of us, if at all possible."  
  
Rogue nodded penitently at the shape shifter's words. "I know that. It just slipped out. And I just wish so mush that I could tell him. He deserves to know, and this sneaking around is tearin' me up inside." she said.  
  
"I know honey. I know. And we will tell him, and soon. Just not yet." Mystique soothed, patting her daughter's hand gently.  
  
Little did they know how soon Kurt would discover his heritage. It was only a few scant weeks later that all was revealed.  
  
*****  
  
The day started out like most others for Rogue. She avoided the pathetic drones of the school, talked a little with the Brotherhood kids, and watched her little brother from afar. The fact that he was usually near Scott at school when she'd see him was just icing...really.  
  
This time was a little different, however. For one thing, Kurt was here before school, while Rogue was wandering aimlessly, enjoying being outside of the oppressive walls of the learning institution as much as possible. One problem with having the principal for your mother was that it made the very idea of ditching...unpleasant. Another odd thing was that her kid bother was not wearing his usual hologram. Ad far as she knew, he was obsessive about wearing it at all times, barring missions with the X-men. The fact that he had on what looked like a high tech backpack and headset, and was walking around like that in /broad daylight/ really worried the goth. Put it all together, and it bore more personal looking into.  
  
"What are you doin' here all blue and fuzzy?" she asked, her fact set into its customary scowl.  
  
"Ah, Guten Morgen to you too, Frau Rogue. The professor vas detecting odd energy readings here from the Institute. I vas sent to check it out." The German mutant replied, before going into the hidden laboratory.  
  
Rogue stood there for a few seconds, debating on whether or not she should follow him, when it became a moot point, as he was hurled out of the room and into a bunch of empty boxes by an explosion. As he lay there, still smoking from the blast, Rogue became a little frantic as she checked him over for injuries. He seemed out of it, so she didn't know how bad he was hurt.  
  
"Kurt! Are yah alright? C'mon little brother, talk to me here. Don't you go dyin' on me now." she babbled, while she tried to rouse him. As she checked him over, a small part of her marveled at her brother's soft fur through her thin gloves. It was so delicate, like crushed velvet. Rogue had little doubt that the first girl with enough common sense to realize it (which excluded Kitty in her opinion) would discover quite the catch in her baby brother and his fur. That thought, in turn caused Rogue to go pale, as Kurt began to stir. She had just realized that she had called hi 'Little Brother' to his face. *Oh man. Momma's going to KILL me for this one.* she thought darkly.  
  
Kurt muttered to himself in German as he regained his sense of where he was. He had heard what Rogue had said as she checked him over, but was too groggy to dwell over it at the moment. Instead he just grumbled, "Mein Gott. Who in their right mind bobby traps a lab with a bomb like that? How crazy was this guy?"  
  
As he stood shakily, Rogue helped him up, and couldn't help but comment, "Take it easy, fuzzy. Yah just got blown up. Maybe you should check in with your friends and let them look you over."  
  
Kurt just shook his head, both to reply to Rogue, and to shake out any remaining cobwebs as he replied, "Nah. I need to see if anything is still salvageable. The Professor wanted a full report on what was there. Besides, I'm not too shaken. I've had worse bumps fighting Lance or Fred. Danke for the concern, though, Rogue."  
  
Rogue looked on dubiously, her arms crossed as he gave her a devil may care grin and entered the bombed out lab. She stood there for all of two seconds before growling to herself in frustration and following him. "Damned fool elf isn't gonna' be satisfied unless he gets himself killed." she complained to herself as she entered the bomb site.  
  
"Well, looks like this place is slag." She commented as she observed the state of the room. It was true too. The hidden basement lab was blackened horribly by the blast, and every computer was so much scrap metal. In fact the only thing that survived was a dome shaped beige thing-a-majig. Kurt was looking said object over as she walked toward him.  
  
"Jah. This is all that survived, it seems. I wonder what it does?" he mused touching the device.  
  
Rogue could only look on in muted horror as a pink beam shot out of the device and appeared to vaporize her little brother. Finally, far too late to do anything, she shook off her shock enough to yell, "KURT!" and run to where he had been. Once she reached the place her little brother had stood a few seconds before, Rogue could only look on in further horror, before falling to her knees and weeping. "My baby brother's dead. Oh gawd, he's dead." she sobbed.  
  
As Rogue wept her eyes out in Forge's lab, Kurt was looking around what appeared to be the halls of the high school in confusion, wondering what had just happened.  
  
*****  
  
END CHAPTER 3 


End file.
